reasons why E1 faced issues as a female monarch

Question 1

role of men

Answer 1

there were powerful men influencing her

Question 2

respect

Answer 2

she was not taken seriously and was less respected

Question 3

army

Answer 3

she was not going to command an army

Question 4

religion

Answer 4

religion favoured men

Question 5

legacy of her sister

Answer 5

her sister was bloody Mary

Question 6

being a woman

Answer 6

• a queen who ruled in her own right was something very unusual and it seemed unnatural in the 16th century
• Christianity taught that women should be under the authority of men
• women were not seen as being physically, mentally or emotionally capable of governing

Question 7

legitimacy

Answer 7

• her legitimacy was in doubt because of how her father had divorced his first wife in order to marry E1’s mother
• he divorced her in the hope of having a male heir because the child of his first wife was female
• Henry believed that a woman could not rule the country with the same authority as a man
• the pope refused to grant the divorce, this lead to the most important developments in English history: The English Reformation - Henry created the C of E to sperate from the Catholic church with himself as the head

Question 8

The French Threat

Answer 8

• France was wealthier and had a larger population
• was an ally of Britain’s other enemy: Scotland. This was known as the Auld Alliance
• MQS, her cousin, was the Scottish monarch and also had a strong claim to the British throne

Question 9

France and Scotland

Answer 9

• MQS declared herself as legitimate to the British throne when Mary I died.
• Catholics who had not accepted Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne Boleyn could rally to MQS’s claim to being England’s legitimate, Catholic monarch
• England’s border with Scotland was remote and hard to defend, which meant it saw constant fighting and raids
• 1558 - Mary’s mother, Mary of Guise, was ruling Scotland for her daughter and had French troops stationed there

Question 10

France and Calais

Answer 10

• England had held the French port of Calais since 1347. It meant that England had a military base in France, also was a good trading post
• 1950s - England sided with Spain in a war against the French because Mary I was married to the Spanish King.
• 1559- the conflict ended with the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis. Under this Treaty England had to return Calais to France
• regaining Calais was an important aim of E1’s foreign policy when she became Queen
• E1 was also concerned that France and Spain were no longer at war. Even though both countries were rivals they were both Roman Catholic countries whereas E1 was protestant.
• Divisions between protestants and Catholics were already causing conflict in Europe , therefore there was a real possibility that Spain and France could unite against England and its Protestant queen